Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea. —Henry Fielding

14 May 2005

Fuddy Meers

Bad title.
The play (by David Lindsay-Abaire) is okay, though, and is very funny. It should've been titled something else, even something fifties like "Who Am I Today?" would have been better than Fuddy Meers. Ah well. I saw a production of this piece at my university today. It was directed by one of the faculty, Bernardo Solano. The acting was uneven--I'm being kind--and the directing was an absolute mess, unfortunately.
It is a tendency of some directors (I have noticed) that they take a very funny piece and try their hardest to bring out the "really serious elements" in the script. This refusal to direct comedy does not serve comedy at all well and never seems to really deal with the serious issues in which the director is interested. In the end, what the audience is left with is a play that isn't as funny as it could be, and often has no idea why it exists at all.

I met Linda Bisesti (CSUP faculty) and Marie Maslowski (Department Secretary) before the show up at Kellogg Ranch on campus and we had a glass (or two) of wine and some nice appetizers. I love that restaurant. I think I will try dining there when I am in town on Sundays for 2Gents.

I will say this about Fuddy Meers, though, Joe Ngo, Matthew Guerra and Ms. Mary Schneider were all wonderful. They just sparkled.
There was a moment late in Act II when Joe Ngo exited the stage--his last line in fact--where I leaned over to Linda and I said "lovely."

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